How to Grow Sweet Peas on the Fence

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Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus), an ornamental pea variety, produces beautiful blossoms with an orange-honey scent. These annuals are available in many different colors including white, purple, blue, red, pink and orange. Many varieties reach over 5 feet tall. These plants grow best when planted in a north-south direction where taller plants do not shade shorter plants. Choose tall varieties when growing sweet peas on a fence. In U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10, plant sweet peas from September to January.

1

Dig the soil up along the fence to the depth of 24 inches with a shovel. Remove any grass and rocks from the soil. Break up large clumps with the edge of the shovel. Mix in 2 to 3 inches of compost or well-rotted manure in the soil.

2

Soak the sweet pea seeds in a bowl of room temperature water. Nick each seed with a metal nail file to speed up germination. Plant the seeds an inch deep spacing them 1 to 2 inches apart along the fence line. Cover the seeds with dirt and water the soil well. The seeds will sprout in 7 to 15 days if the soil does not freeze.

3

Thin the sweet pea plants to one every 6 inches when the sprouts are 4 inches tall. Spread an inch layer of mulch around the base of the plants to keep the soil cool and moist. Train the vine up the fence. Sweet peas do not need tying to the fence since they will hang on to the fence with tendrils.

4

Water the soil around the base of the plants when the soil feels dry. Getting the leaves wet exposes the sweet peas to plant disease.

5

Pinch the top of the plants off as they reach the top end of their fence. When the upward growth is limited, the sweet peas grow bushier. Remove the fading flowers to stop them from setting pods, which will stop the production of flowers. This encourages the sweet peas to bloom from summer through fall.

Things You Will Need

About the Author

Karen Carter spent three years as a technology specialist in the public school system and her writing has appeared in the "Willapa Harbor Herald" and the "Rogue College Byline." She has an Associate of Arts from Rogue Community College with a certificate in computer information systems.